Stories
One of the most difficult decisions facing local and state officials in Maine is whether — and how — to reopen schools this fall. The state Department of Education has released its initial guidelines for reopening, with districts around the state likely to release their local plans over the next month. Reopening is also a…
Read MoreWhen news of George Floyd’s death broke in May, New Bedford High School English teacher Takeru Nagayoshi wasn’t sure how he could help his students process their anger and grief. School closures were making it hard for them to connect. So he created a virtual space. In a series of optional Zoom meetings, Nagayoshi invited the…
Read MoreThe Agency of Education has released its final guidelines for how to hold a graduation ceremony during a pandemic. High school seniors are now getting a clearer picture of how their schools will mark this once-in-a-lifetime achievement during a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic first interrupted Owen Hansen’s senior year about a week…
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Call-In Special: New England Colleges In ‘Survival Mode’ As COVID-19 Jolts Higher Education
COVID-19 has driven New England’s higher education sector into financial “survival mode.” Now colleges and universities must adapt or risk major — if not catastrophic — loss from the crisis. Join us for an America Amplified special from the New England News Collaborative. We’ll bring together voices from across the region, and we want to…
Read MoreWhen Your Remote Classroom Is Your Car: How Some Rural Students Without Broadband Are Connecting
Even though school is closed, on a given day there are about a dozen cars lined up in the parking lot of Sanderson Academy in Ashfield with people using the school’s Wi-Fi. Natalie Szewczyk is one of them. The 18-year-old has turned her Toyota Corolla into a mobile work station. “I stay in my driver’s…
Read MoreThe Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association officially shut down any hope of high school sports happening in the state this spring when its board of directors made the announcement a week ago that there would be no spring sports or tournaments. That decision didn’t come as a shock for many. What really stung was Gov. Charlie…
Read MoreWhen The Springfield Renaissance School closed its physical doors to students in March, staff had to work fast to find a way to connect with kids and attempt to continue the academic material they were working on. For the first two weeks, teachers experimented with Facebook posts and robocalling families with assignments, which principal Arria Coburn…
Read MoreMaine’s College Seniors Face Uncertainty After Graduation
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of stress on college students. In just a few weeks, many have had to pack their bags and leave campus, then transition to new, online classes. And for those set to graduate this spring, the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic has many on edge and some rethinking…
Read MoreBefore school closure, Dr. Susan Pike’s classrooms were loud, and she prided herself on it. Students in her high school science classes at the private school St. Thomas Aquinas High School, in Dover, would do calculations together on the white board, bounce between group experiments, and crowd over microscopes to inspect pond scum. “One of…
Read MoreWith New Hampshire schools now closed, teachers are facing an unprecedented challenge: how to teach their students remotely for at least three weeks. Schools are figuring out how to get meals and computers to students in need, and teachers are trying to figure out how to keep students engaged while isolated at home. NHPR’s Sarah…
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